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African Americans and the Civil WarAfrican Americans and the Civil War

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Terms and People

• contraband – captured war supplies

• Antietam – 1862 Civil War battle in which 23,000 troops were killed or wounded in one day.

• Emancipation Proclamation – decree by President Lincoln that said all enslaved people living in the Confederate states still in rebellion were free

• Militia Act – 1862 law that allowed African American soldiers to serve in the Union military

• 54th Massachusetts Regiment – all-black regiment known for its bravery

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President Lincoln recognized the need to include abolishing slavery as a goal of the war.

Free African Americans joined the Union’s army and navy to fight for freedom.

How did the Emancipation Proclamation and the efforts of African American soldiers affect the course of the war?

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As war progressed, abolitionist Frederick Douglass urged Lincoln to abolish slavery and allow African Americans to fight for the Union.

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Lincoln was further pressured to address the issue of slavery because

• Union troops did not know what to do with enslaved people who came under their control in conquered territories. Fugitives were considered contraband.

• slavery was very unpopular among the Union’s European allies.

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Lincoln secretly plans for emancipation of slaves.

• He secretly began working on a plan In the summer of 1862, he shared it with his Cabinet who generally supported it.

• They decided to wait for a Union battle victory to announce it.

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The Battle at Antietam in Maryland was

The single bloodiest day of the war . 23,000 soldiers killed or wounded.

Lincoln claims victory.

Union troops attacked Confederate General Robert E. Lee at Antietam before Lee was able to mount a surprise attack on the Union.

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After the Union victory at the Battle of Antietam on September 17, 1862, Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclamation.

It made the abolition of slavery one of the specific goals of the Union.

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The Emancipation Proclamation was issued on September 22, 1862.

• It was a military decree.

• It declares slaves in states in rebellion to be free.

• It did not apply to border states.

• It did not apply to Confederate areas already under Union military control.

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Effects of Emancipation Proclamation Effects of Emancipation Proclamation

• It does not free a single slave • It redefines the war as being about

slavery• Does not apply to border states

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African Americans Join the FightAfrican Americans Join the FightNorth recruits African Americans

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Two months before Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclamation, Congress had passed the Militia Act.

This Militia Act enabled free blacks in the North to join the Union military and actively fight for their freedom.

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Results of the Militia Act

• Thousands of African Americans became Union soldiers.

• Nearly two dozen black Civil War soldiers received the Congressional Medal of Honor.

• Some 70,000 black Union soldiers lost their lives in hundreds of Civil War battles.

• The 54th Massachusetts Regiment was formed. It was recognized for its outstanding action in the battle for Fort Wagner in South Carolina.

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African Americans do BattleAfrican Americans do Battle

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They endured prejudices from white troops who were afraid they couldn’t fight

• often assigned menial tasks and longest guard duty

• fought three years to win equal pay

• killed if captured by Confederate troops

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• By using various forms of resistance against the Confederacy

• refusing to work for their southern owners

• By running away to Union camps and working for the Union, often serving as spies or scouts

Enslaved people helped Union cause